'Yes, I Am A Terrorist', Texts Missing Kerala Man
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 Jul 2016
Photo: How a Kerala village missed the signs of radicalization ... till 12 went missing
• How a Kerala Village Missed the Signs of Radicalization ... Till 12 Went Missing
• Bahrain Court Dissolves Main Shi'ite Opposition Bloc for 'Harbouring Terrorism'
• Three Sufi Muslims Injured In an Attack by a Group of Machete-Wielding Men in Bangladesh
• No Terrorist Link Established To Nice Attacker
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India
• 'Yes, I Am A Terrorist', Texts Missing Kerala Man
• How a Kerala Village Missed the Signs of Radicalization ... Till 12 Went Missing
• Muslims Defy Curfew for Last Rites of Kashmiri Pandit Woman
• J&K IAS Topper Blames Govt for Maiming ‘Own Citizens’
• Meerut family to meet JeM terrorist - their 'missing son'
• Three heavily-armed terrorists killed along LoC in J&K's Poonch
• Terror should be put down with iron hand, Prime Minister says
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Arab World
• Bahrain Court Dissolves Main Shi'ite Opposition Bloc for 'Harbouring Terrorism'
• Yemeni Army Seals Off Eastern Sana'a to Saudi Forces
• Yemen's Warring Sides Resume UN-Led Peace Talks In Kuwait
• Aleppo: Terrorists' Large-Scale Offensive Repulsed by Syrian Army, Popular Forces
• Syria: Terrorists Withdraw from Two more Villages in Homs Province
• Syrian Army Engages in Heavy Fighting with Terrorists in Southern Hama
• Iranian President: Election Only Solution to Problems in Yemen, Bahrain
• Deir Ezzur: Syrian Army Shoots Down ISIL's Spy Drones
• Iraqi Air Force Hits ISIL's Military Positions Hard in Salahuddin, Anbar Provinces
• Commander: Iran to Receive Remaining Parts of S-300 Missile Shield by Yearend
• Bahrain’s main Shia opposition bloc dissolved by court
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South Asia
• Three Sufi Muslims Injured In an Attack by a Group of Machete-Wielding Men in Bangladesh
• Professor, 2 Others Arrested Over Links to Dhaka Terror Attack
• 3 policemen feared dead, wounded in Kabul explosion
• US delivers 5 new combat helicopters to Afghan Air Force
• Dhaka attack: 3 held for renting room to attackers
• Bangladesh identifies masterminds of Dhaka attack
• Dhaka attack: Bangladesh police deny any rescued hostages in their custody
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Europe
• No Terrorist Link Established To Nice Attacker
• French Truck Attacker ‘Never Went To Mosque’
• Nice Truck Attacker Recently Radicalized, French PM Says, As 2 More Arrested Over Massacre
• Serbia to send army, police on borders because of migrants
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Mideast
• Turkey Coup ‘Mastermind’ Fethullah Gulen Is In Exile in US — With Green Card
• What Pushed The Coup Against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan And What Next?
• Erdogan supporters stand guard as crushed coup bid shakes Turkey
• Why does Turkey have a long history of coups?
• 'Choppers were flying so low, we felt we could touch them': Recounts Indian eyewitness in Turkey
• Turkey coup: Barack Obama warns Ankara to ‘act within the rule of law’
• Turkey detains around 6,000 over coup plot
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Africa
• At Least 300 Killed In Four Days in Latest South Sudan Violence: UN
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Pakistan
• Pakistan Declared Wani A Martyr under Pressure, Says Ex-Foreign Secretary
• Pakistan to take India to The Hague after two-day meet yields no breakthrough
• Qandeel Baloch's brother, accused of killing her, arrested
----------
Southeast Asia
• Is ISIS a Threat to Indonesia?
----------
North America
• Don't travel to Turkey: US warns citizens after coup attempt
• Barack Obama slams suggestion of ‘sharia test’ in wake of Nice attack
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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'Yes, I am a terrorist', texts missing Kerala man
Prashanth M P | TNN | Jul 17, 2016
Kozhikode: "People may call me a terrorist. If fighting in the path of Allah is terrorism, yes I am a terrorist (sic)," reads a message sent by one of the missing Kerala youngsters to his family.
Mohammad Marwan is among 15 youths from the state who are suspected to have joined the so-called Islamic State (IS). The message was sent via the Telegram app in the last week of June. Though the youth claims that he sent the message from territory under the terror group's control in West Asia, intelligence agencies have not yet confirmed whether the youth is actually there.
In the message, Marwan promises he will come back after he "finishes work with IS to help the persecuted Muslims in Kashmir, Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar". "Here, Muslims, including little children, are killed in the bomb attack by the US and Russian forces. How can I sit comfortably at home when the Muslim ummah (community) is attacked (sic) ," he wrote.
Quoting the Quran, Marwan said, "Allah will ask what I was doing when the community was being persecuted". "Didn't the Prophet taught (sic) us that the entire ummah is like one body? It is my religious duty to fight for the protection of the community," he added.
Detailing the situation, he said things "are in bad shape in IS-controlled areas". "You have facilities like palatial houses, fridge and car, but see the condition of the Muslims here. Here, they don't have even have electricity as the enemies of Islam have blocked everything. However, the people are contended (sic) and happy as they believe that Allah is with them," he wrote.
The 23-year-old claims to be fully aware of what he is doing. "No one has brainwashed me and recruited me to IS. I decided to leave for fighting for Islam after reading news about the developments in the Islamic State," he said. He wrote, if killed in the fight for Islam, "I will be treated as a martyr in my after-life". "The martyr who died fighting for Islam has the privilege of recommending 70 persons (sic) from family to the other world (heaven)," he added. The message ends with the hope that he will be able to come back once the mission is over. "But right now it is a 24-hour war here," he wrote.
Dr Ijaz, another of the missing youngsters, had conveyed similar information in a voice message sent to his family earlier this month.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/Yes-I-am-a-terrorist-texts-missing-Kerala-man/articleshow/53246116.cms
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How a Kerala village missed the signs of radicalization ... till 12 went missing
M P Prashanth | TNN | Jul 17, 2016
Padne, a secular island till recently, is bewildered by the flight of some of its Muslim youth.
It is sandwiched between the politically volatile Kannur and a communally sensitive Kasargod , but Padne village doesn't share the characteristics of either district. The Muslim-dominated area was tension-free even in the dark days following the demolition of Babri Masjid when neighbouring areas witnessed violence.
Last week, Padne woke up one morning to find that 12 people from the village had disappeared and been possibly radicalised by the ISIS . Among the 12 missing are a doctor, a dentist, two engineers, a commerce graduate and two two-year olds. And two of the women in the group are pregnant.
One family got a chilling message: "We have reached the final destination — the Caliphate where there is no danger of mixing with the non-believers." The tone and the language seemed to have the unmistakable IS stamp.
"We had no inkling that educated youth would go on such a misadventure," says BC Abdurehman, the local leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and a relative of 23-year-old Hafeesudheen, one of those missing.
"People from Padne have gone out of the state on jobs and businesses — Rangoon (Yangon), Singapore, the Gulf countries, Mumbai and Mangalore. Padne has a considerable number of NRIs and the relatives of some of the boys run prosperous businesses in the Gulf," says Abdurehman. "But we couldn't imagine something like this even in our worst nightmares."
Most of Padne's Muslims follow the Sufi or Sunni path that gels easily with local traditions. "But educated young Muslims found the local Sunni imams naive because they had no answer to their doubts about Islam. So they turned to the Salafi preachers who sounded more appealing. This is how Salafism gained ground in Padne," says Abdurehman.
But of late, the influence of ultra-Salafism was becoming evident in the youth of the area. "As an adolescent, Hafeesudheen had all the problems typical of a kid born in an affluent Dubai-based family. He was sent back to Kerala to be 'reformed'. But the changes that occurred in him in the past few years were unimaginable. He professed hatred for everything he once loved in his childhood, like movies and desert safaris," says Abdul Salam, Hafeesudheen's uncle.
CPM district secretariat member VPP Musthafa is at a loss to understand the disappearance. "In hindsight, we overlooked many things connected to this change," he says.
"We failed to notice the radicalisation because they never debated political or social issues. Earlier incarnations of Muslim extremism such as Abdul Nazer Madani's PDP or the Popular Front of India were very vocal about their stance. But this group seemed unconcerned about the issues that generally fuel extremism," says the CPM leader.
But the missing youngsters did argue with their family members about religious issues. Hafeesudheen had insisted that his wedding be held in a different style despite his father's objections. Interestingly, though the other men had succeeded in indoctrinating their wives as well, Hafeesudheen's wife, a PharmD, stayed back.
Muslim leaders in Padne are worried the developments will damage the village's secular credentials. But the area's Hindus say they are not worried. "Sree Padne Mundya Temple is situated right in the middle of a Muslim area. They (Muslims) even take part in the temple festival held once every three years. There are only around 40 Hindu families around here, the rest are Muslim," says K V Balakrishnan, former president of the temple committee.
"We don't think Muslims in Padne have changed. What happened is only an aberration. The radicalized youth don't seem to have any local grievances. So this could have happened anywhere in Kerala but unfortunately Padne became the theatre of action," he says.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/How-a-Kerala-village-missed-the-signs-of-radicalization-till-12-went-missing/articleshow/53244617.cms
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Bahrain Court Dissolves Main Shi'ite Opposition Bloc for 'Harbouring Terrorism'
Dubai, 17 July 2016
The administrative court in Manama also ordered the movement's funds to be seized by the government, the source said.
The ruling comes despite appeals by the United Nations, United States, and rights groups for the legal process against the bloc to be dropped.
Al Wefaq was the largest in parliament before its lawmakers resigned in protest at the crushing of 2011 protests calling for an elected government.
Washington has labelled the crackdown on it "alarming".
The court accused Al Wefaq, which draws most of its support from the Shia majority, of "inciting violence and encouraging demonstrations and sit-ins which could lead to sectarian strife in the country".
It said that the bloc had "criticised the performance of the state authorities ─ executive, judicial, and legislative".
On June 28, Al Wefaq's defence lawyers withdrew from court proceedings in protest at the government's push to accelerate the process, which was initially set for October 6.
The court already suspended all of Al Wefaq's activities on June 14, ordering its offices closed and assets frozen.
The justice ministry, which had requested dissolving Al Wefaq, accused the bloc of providing a haven for "terrorism, radicalisation and violence" and opening the way for "foreign interference" in the kingdom's affairs.
Despite repeated appeals from its US ally for “reform and reconciliation”, Bahrain has carried out an intensifying crackdown on leading Shia figures.
Al Wefaq chief, Shia cleric Ali Salman, is serving a nine-year jail term for inciting violence after a court in May more than doubled his sentence.
His arrest in December 2014 sparked protests in Bahrain, already rocked by an uprising that erupted in February 2011.
Last month, Bahrain stripped the kingdom's top Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim of his nationality, prompting street protests in his home village of Diraz, west of Manama.
Amnesty International had urged Bahraini authorities to halt its "intensified crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association and movement".
The London-based rights watchdog said it was "deeply concerned" by the decision to suspend Al Wefaq.
Tiny but strategic Bahrain lies just across the Gulf from Iran and is the home base of the US Fifth Fleet.
dawn.com/news/1271399/bahrain-court-dissolves-main-opposition-bloc
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Three Sufi Muslims Injured In an Attack by a Group of Machete-Wielding Men in Bangladesh
AFP | Jul 17, 2016
DHAKA: A group of machete-wielding men attacked members of a Sufi Muslim sect in western Bangladesh injuring three people, police said on Sunday, the latest in a spate of attacks on religious minorities.
About eight men, armed with bamboo sticks and machetes, set upon the Sufis on Saturday night while they were asleep in a village in the border district of Chuadanga.
"Three members of the group were beaten by the attackers. They include a 50-year-old woman who had suffered grievous injury with a sharp weapon," local police chief Humayun Kabir told AFP.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities by suspected Islamist extremists.
Kabir said police suspect local hardline Muslims for the attack as the sect might have drawn the ire of the villagers due to their "unconventional and un-social" lifestyle.
"They are Muslim Fakirs, who don't observe the daily Islamic prayer rituals. They sing devotional songs and have their own rituals," local council chief Abdul Hannan told AFP, using another name for the sect.
In May a Sufi leader was hacked to death and earlier this month Bangladesh suffered a bloody terror attack when Islamist gunmen stormed a Dhaka cafe popular with foreigners and killed 20 people.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for that and several other attacks, but the Bangladesh government blames homegrown extremist groups.
Sufi Islam is a mystical form of Islam popular in rural Bangladesh but considered deviant by many of the country's majority Sunni Muslims who denounce its followers as "infidels".
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Three-Sufi-Muslims-injured-in-Bangladesh-machete-attack/articleshow/53250640.cms
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No terrorist link established to Nice attacker
AP | Jul 16, 2016
NICE: The man responsible for turning a night of celebration into one of carnage in the seaside city of Nice was a petty criminal who hadn't been on the radar of French intelligence services before the attack.
As authorities in France frantically search for clues that might indicate a network of supporters of the kind that emerged after the Paris attacks last November, what is known so far about Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel suggests a troubled, angry loner with little interest in Islam.
The 31-year-old was born in Msaken, a town in Tunisia, but moved to France years ago and was living in the country legally, working as a delivery driver.
At an apartment bloc in the Quartier des Abattoirs, on the outskirts of Nice, neighbors described the father of three as a volatile man, prone to drinking and womanizing, and in the process of divorcing his wife.
His father said Bouhlel had violent episodes during which ``he broke everything he found around him.''
``Each time he had a crisis, we took him to the doctor who gave him medication,'' Mohamed Mondher Lahouaiej Bouhlel told BFM television.
His son hadn't visited Tunisia in four years and hadn't stayed in contact with his family, he said.
``What I know is that he didn't pray, he didn't go to the mosque, he had no ties to religion,'' said the father, noting that Bouhlel didn't respect the Islamic fasting rituals during the month of Ramadan.
In a news conference Friday, hours after the attack in which 84 people were killed and 202 were wounded, prosecutors said they had found no links to the Islamic State extremist group.
Bouhlel had had a series of run-ins with the law for threatening behavior, violence and theft over the past six years. In March, he was given a six-month suspended sentence by a Nice court for a road-rage incident.
His court-appointed lawyer, Corentin Delobel, said he observed ``no radicalization whatsoever,'' and Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Bouhlel was never placed on a watch list for radicals.
Still, Bouhlel could have felt inspired by calls from extremist groups to carry out acts of murder in France, said Molins. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the Nice attack, President Francois Hollande called it ``undeniably terrorist in nature'' and extended a state of emergency imposed after the November 13 assault on Paris nightspots that claimed 130 lives.
Records show that the 19-ton truck that was rammed through the seaside crowd in Nice was rented in the outskirts of the city on July 11 and overdue on the night of the attack.
About 25 minutes before the July 14 fireworks show, a popular event that draws hundreds of thousands of people to the Nice seafront each year, Bouhlel climbed into the vehicle and drove toward the city center.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m., he drove onto the Promenade des Anglais that had been closed to traffic for the night.
Witnesses described seeing how Bouhlel purposely steered the truck to hit men, women and children as they tried to flee.
``It was such a nice atmosphere before this started,'' recalled Sanchia Lambert, a tourist from Sweden who had come to visit family in Nice. ``There were people playing drums, kids riding their bikes. That makes what happened all the worse.''
Her husband, John Lambert, said the couple was almost struck by Bouhlel.
``I saw his face,'' Lambert told The Associated Press. ``He was totally focused.''
Within minutes the attack was over, with Bouhlel dead in a hail of police gunfire. Inside the driver's cab lay a loaded handgun, three replica firearms and an empty grenade.
Investigators are looking into how Bouhlel acquired the cache of weapons. A series of attacks in recent years have shown that radical jihadi networks are seemingly able to obtain guns, and even heavier automatic weapons, with ease in France.
Nice is home to a sizeable Islamic community, and Muslims were among the victims. It is also the home of Omar Omsen, notorious for his French-language jihadi recruitment videos and now believed to be fighting in Syria.
Fellow Tunisians in Nice said they hoped the attack wouldn't reflect badly on them.
``It shocks me because here's a guy who comes from the same town as me,'' said hair stylist Morgan Braham, 31. ``Today I'm almost ashamed and afraid. It's not only shame it's also fear, to tell people that we're Tunisian.''
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/No-terrorist-link-established-to-Nice-attacker/articleshow/53238938.cms
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India
'Yes, I am a terrorist', texts missing Kerala man
Prashanth M P | TNN | Jul 17, 2016
Kozhikode: "People may call me a terrorist. If fighting in the path of Allah is terrorism, yes I am a terrorist (sic)," reads a message sent by one of the missing Kerala youngsters to his family.
Mohammad Marwan is among 15 youths from the state who are suspected to have joined the so-called Islamic State (IS). The message was sent via the Telegram app in the last week of June. Though the youth claims that he sent the message from territory under the terror group's control in West Asia, intelligence agencies have not yet confirmed whether the youth is actually there.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/Yes-I-am-a-terrorist-texts-missing-Kerala-man/articleshow/53246116.cms
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How a Kerala village missed the signs of radicalization ... till 12 went missing
M P Prashanth | TNN | Jul 17, 2016
Padne, a secular island till recently, is bewildered by the flight of some of its Muslim youth.
It is sandwiched between the politically volatile Kannur and a communally sensitive Kasargod , but Padne village doesn't share the characteristics of either district. The Muslim-dominated area was tension-free even in the dark days following the demolition of Babri Masjid when neighbouring areas witnessed violence.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/How-a-Kerala-village-missed-the-signs-of-radicalization-till-12-went-missing/articleshow/53244617.cms
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Muslims defy curfew for last rites of Kashmiri Pandit woman
PTI | Jul 16, 2016
SRINAGAR: In a show of bonhomie, locals defied curfew to help perform the last rites of a Kashmiri Pandit woman in old city on Saturday.
The residents of Sheikh Mohalla in Maharaj Gunj rushed to help Deepak Malhotra and his family to perform the last rites of his mother, who passed away this morning, a police official said.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Muslims-defy-curfew-for-last-rites-of-Kashmiri-Pandit-woman/articleshow/53243052.cms
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J&K IAS topper blames govt for maiming ‘own citizens’
Aarti Tikoo Singh | TNN | Jul 17, 2016
SRINAGAR: The mob and the militant, whether visible on the streets or not, have come to intimidate almost every Kashmiri Muslim perceived to be an Indian in the valley post the killing of Burhan Wani. The fear has penetrated so deep that both progressive mainstream icons and ordinary employees of the state are either hiding their Indian stamp or distancing themselves from New Delhi.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/srinagar/JK-IAS-topper-blames-govt-for-maiming-own-citizens/articleshow/53245959.cms
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Meerut family to meet JeM terrorist - their 'missing son'
Ashish Tripathi | TNN | Jul 16, 2016
LUCKNOW: The district administration has allowed the dalit family from Meerut to meet convicted Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist Abid lodged in Lucknow jail. They family had claimed Abid to be their son missing since 2006.
The meeting will take place on Sunday at 11am in the presence of senior officials of special task force, anti-terror squad and local intelligence unit.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Meerut-family-to-meet-JeM-terrorist-their-missing-son/articleshow/53242608.cms
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Three heavily-armed terrorists killed along LoC in J&K's Poonch
PTI | Jul 16, 2016
JAMMU: The Army on Saturday gunned down three heavily-armed terrorists and foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir's Poonch district.
The group of terrorists was attempting to infiltrate into the Indian territory from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a defence spokesman said here.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Three-heavily-armed-terrorists-killed-along-LoC-in-JKs-Poonch/articleshow/53241798.cms
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Terror should be put down with iron hand, Prime Minister says
PTI | Jul 16, 2016
NEW DELHI: Asserting that India cannot ignore what is happening across the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said terrorism should be put down with an iron hand keeping politics aside in the interest of national security.
Addressing chief ministers at a day-long meeting of the Inter-State Council, he asked the states to focus on intelligence sharing which will help the country stay "alert" and "updated" in countering internal security challenges.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Terror-should-be-put-down-with-iron-hand-Prime-Minister-says/articleshow/53242833.cms
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Arab World
Bahrain Court Dissolves Main Shi'ite Opposition Bloc for 'Harbouring Terrorism'
Dubai, 17 July 2016
The administrative court in Manama also ordered the movement's funds to be seized by the government, the source said.
The ruling comes despite appeals by the United Nations, United States, and rights groups for the legal process against the bloc to be dropped.
Al Wefaq was the largest in parliament before its lawmakers resigned in protest at the crushing of 2011 protests calling for an elected government.
Washington has labelled the crackdown on it "alarming".
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1271399/bahrain-court-dissolves-main-opposition-bloc
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Yemeni Army Seals Off Eastern Sana'a to Saudi Forces
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Saudi-led forces failed to open their way into the Eastern part of Sana'a after sustaining heavy losses in clashes with the Yemeni army and popular forces, battlefield sources reported on Sunday.
The Yemeni forces confronted and blocked the Saudi troops attack to enter the Ninth region in Eastern Sana'a.
The Saudi troops sustained heavy casualties and lost a large number of military vehicles and equipment in clashes with the Yemeni forces.
In a relevant development last week, Yemeni army and popular forces killed tens of forces loyal to former fugitive president Mansour Hadi who were trying to advance towards Sana'a.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950427000934
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Yemen's warring sides resume UN-led peace talks in Kuwait
News Desk | The Associated Press | Kuwait City
Sun, July 17 2016
Yemen's government has resumed talks in Kuwait with Shiite Houthi rebels despite its earlier threats to boycott the process.
The state-run Kuwait News Agency, KUNA, reports that the parties participated in the U.N.-led talks Saturday evening, after a roughly two-week hiatus.
Full report at: thejakartapost.com/news/2016/07/17/yemens-warring-sides-resume-un-led-peace-talks-in-kuwait-.html
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Aleppo: Terrorists' Large-Scale Offensive Repulsed by Syrian Army, Popular Forces
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops and their popular allies repelled the heavy attacks of Nouralddeen al-Zinki and al-Nusra Front to take control of the vast farms in Northern Aleppo, army sources said Sunday.
"The Syrian government forces deployed in the newly-liberated al-Malaah region and backed up by the country's fighter jets did not allow the terrorist groups to prevail over their defense lines across al-Malaah farms and inflicted a heavy death toll on them," the sources said.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950427001061
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Syria: Terrorists Withdraw from Two more Villages in Homs Province
TEHRAN (FNA)- The militant groups that had violated the peace agreement with the Syrian government were forced by the Syrian Army and villagers to leave their positions, military sources confirmed on Sunday.
"Based on an agreement between the Syrian army and local residents, tens of the militants, who had not observed truce details with the Syrian government, were forced by the Syrian soldiers to leave the villages of Um al-Qasab and Qazhel on six Buses for other militant-held regions," the sources said.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950427000941
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Syrian Army Engages in Heavy Fighting with Terrorists in Southern Hama
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian Army troops' anti-terrorism offensive on the positions of terrorist groups in Southern Hama's provincial border with Northern Homs left several militants dead and several more wounded.
The Syrian soldiers struck militant concentration centers and gatherings near the small town of Hirbnafsa, which not only killed six and wounded several terrorists but slowed their military movements down in the region.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950427000781
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Iranian President: Election Only Solution to Problems in Yemen, Bahrain
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blasted resort to force and coup to make changes in the regional states, and said holding elections is the only practical solution to the current problems and unrests in Bahrain, Yemen, Bahrain and other countries in the region.
"The era of coup d'tat and use of artillery and tanks has ended and today it is just the ballot box that can resolve the problems in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Bahrain," Rouhani said, addressing a large gathering of people in the Western province of Kermanshah on Sunday.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950427000839
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Deir Ezzur: Syrian Army Shoots Down ISIL's Spy Drones
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian military forces shot down two spy drones of the ISIL terrorist group flying over their positions in Deir Ezzur's districts.
The two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were brought down after they were intercepted over government forces' positions in the neighborhoods of al-Sina'ah and al-Jabaliyeh.
The ISIL's drones were equipped with imaging devices.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950427000732
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Iraqi Air Force Hits ISIL's Military Positions Hard in Salahuddin, Anbar Provinces
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iraqi air force continued pounding ISIL's military positions in different parts of Anbar and Salahuddin provinces, and inflicted heavy losses and casualties on the Takfiri terrorist group.
The Iraqi F16 fighter jets hit and destroyed 11 targets of the ISIL group, killing 49 Takfiri terrorists.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950427000887
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Commander: Iran to Receive Remaining Parts of S-300 Missile Shield by Yearend
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iran-Russia contract on the supply of several S-300 missile defense systems to Tehran will be accomplished by the end of the current Iranian year (that ends on March 20, 2017), Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli announced on Sunday.
"The supply of the S-300 missile defense system is moving on its natural course and the remaining parts will be supplied to Iran by the end of the current year," Esmayeeli said on Sunday.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950427000963
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Bahrain’s main Shia opposition bloc dissolved by court
17 Jul, 2016
The headquarters of Bahrain's main opposition party al-Wefaq is seen in Bilad Al Qadeem, west of Manama © Hamad I Mohammed
The headquarters of Bahrain's main opposition party al-Wefaq is seen in Bilad Al Qadeem, west of Manama © Hamad I Mohammed / Reuters
Al-Wefaq, Bahrain’s Shia opposition group, has been dissolved by the kingdom’s top court for “harboring terrorism,” local media report. The court in Manama has also ordered that the movement’s finances be impounded by government.
Full report at: rt.com/news/351693-bahrain-shia-opposition-banned/
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South Asia
Three Sufi Muslims Injured In an Attack by a Group of Machete-Wielding Men in Bangladesh
AFP | Jul 17, 2016
DHAKA: A group of machete-wielding men attacked members of a Sufi Muslim sect in western Bangladesh injuring three people, police said on Sunday, the latest in a spate of attacks on religious minorities.
About eight men, armed with bamboo sticks and machetes, set upon the Sufis on Saturday night while they were asleep in a village in the border district of Chuadanga.
"Three members of the group were beaten by the attackers. They include a 50-year-old woman who had suffered grievous injury with a sharp weapon," local police chief Humayun Kabir told AFP.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Three-Sufi-Muslims-injured-in-Bangladesh-machete-attack/articleshow/53250640.cms
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Professor, 2 others arrested over links to Dhaka terror attack
PTI | Jul 17, 2016
DHAKA: Acting deputy vice chancellor of a private university has been arrested here along with two others for sheltering militants who carried out Bangladesh's worst terror attack at a cafe in which 22 people were killed by suspected Islamic State militants.
"North South University's (NSU) acting pro-VC Gias Uddin Ahsan was arrested yesterday for renting out a flat to the attackers of Holey Artisan Bakery," said Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Professor-2-others-arrested-over-links-to-Dhaka-terror-attack/articleshow/53249045.cms
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3 policemen feared dead, wounded in Kabul explosion
By Khaama Press - Sat Jul 16 2016
An explosion took place in the outskirts of Kabul earlier this morning with preliminary reports suggesting at least three policemen have suffered casualties.
The administrative chief of Bagram Ahmad Shafi said the incident took place after a magnetic bomb was detonated in a police vehicle.
He said an investigation is underway regarding the incident but did not say anything regarding the casualties.
Full report at: khaama.com/3-policemen-feared-dead-wounded-in-kabul-explosion-01494
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US delivers 5 new combat helicopters to Afghan Air Force
By Khaama Press - Sun Jul 17 2016
The United States has completed the delivery of 5 more combat helicopters to the Afghan Air Force in a bid to improve the capabilities of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).
“Five new MD-530 Cayuse Warrior helicopters arrived at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, July 16, 2016, via a C-17 Globemaster III from McChord Air Force Base, Wash. The MD-530s were delivered to the Afghan air force increasing their fleet from 18 to 23,” the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing said Saturday.
Each of the newest helicopters is capable of firing rockets or .50-caliber machine guns. These newest aircraft provide an expanded capability for the AAF to support the Afghan National Army’s ground fight.
Full report at: khaama.com/us-delivers-5-new-combat-helicopters-to-afghan-air-force-01496
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Dhaka attack: 3 held for renting room to attackers
Reuters | Jul 17, 2016
DHAKA: Police in Dhaka on Saturday arrested three people, including a university professor, for failing to register information about tenants renting a property who later attacked a cafe in the city, killing 20 people.
Gias Uddin Ahsan, a professor at North South University in Dhaka, his nephew, and the manager of Ahsan's apartment were arrested by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) for failing to comply with rules forcing landlords to register information about their tenants with the police, Mohammad Masudur Rahman, a senior police official told Reuters.
The men will appear in court on Sunday, he said.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Dhaka-attack-3-held-for-renting-room-to-attackers/articleshow/53246071.cms
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Bangladesh identifies masterminds of Dhaka attack
PTI | Jul 16, 2016
DHAKA: Bangladesh on Saturday said it has identified the masterminds of the deadly Dhaka cafe terror attack that killed 20 foreigners, and a second assault just days later.
"The government has identified the masterminds of the two attacks, they will be exposed to justice," Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told a media briefing but declined to elaborate "in the interest of investigations".
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Bangladesh-identifies-masterminds-of-Dhaka-attack/articleshow/53241825.cms
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Dhaka attack: Bangladesh police deny any rescued hostages in their custody
AP | Jul 16, 2016
NEW DELHI: Police in Bangladesh denied on Saturday that they're still holding a British man and a University of Toronto student who have been missing since being rescued during this month's bloody attack on a restaurant by radical Islamists, saying they've questioned and released the men.
Hasnat Karim, the British national, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, the student, have not been heard from since being questioned by authorities following the July 1 attack, according to their families and Human Rights Watch.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Dhaka-attack-Bangladesh-police-deny-any-rescued-hostages-in-their-custody/articleshow/53241868.cms
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Europe
No terrorist link established to Nice attacker
AP | Jul 16, 2016
NICE: The man responsible for turning a night of celebration into one of carnage in the seaside city of Nice was a petty criminal who hadn't been on the radar of French intelligence services before the attack.
As authorities in France frantically search for clues that might indicate a network of supporters of the kind that emerged after the Paris attacks last November, what is known so far about Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel suggests a troubled, angry loner with little interest in Islam.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/No-terrorist-link-established-to-Nice-attacker/articleshow/53238938.cms
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French truck attacker ‘never went to mosque’
July 17th, 2016
NICE: Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was a petty criminal prone to depression and violence who smoked, drank and never went to the mosque, according to neighbours and family.
The Tunisian delivery driver, who on Thursday evening smashed a 19-tonne lorry into a crowd killing 84 people, including 10 children — an attack claimed by the militant Islamic State group on Saturday — had shown no overt signs of radicalistaion. Authorities said he had not been flagged for links to radical Islamic ideology.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1271291/french-truck-attacker-never-went-to-mosque
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Nice truck attacker recently radicalized, French PM says, as 2 more arrested over massacre
17 Jul, 2016
People react near flowers placed on the road in tribute to victims, three days after an attack by the driver of a heavy truck who ran into a crowd on Bastille Day killing scores and injuring as many on the Promenade des Anglais, in Nice, France, July 17, 2016 © Pascal Rossignol / Reuters
Full report at: rt.com/news/351674-nice-attacker-radicalized-arrests/
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Serbia to send army, police on borders because of migrants
AP | Jul 16, 2016
BELGRADE: Serbia will deploy joint army and police patrols on the borders with Bulgaria and Macedonia to curb illegal entry of migrants and people smuggling, the Balkan country's prime minister said on Saturday.
Serbia's move comes days after EU member Hungary started applying harsher border control rules that include sending migrants back to Serbia, which has left hundreds stranded in makeshift camps along the Serbia-Hungary border.
Serbia lies in the center of the so-called Balkan route for migrants and asylum-seekers fleeing war and poverty in hope of reaching Western Europe. Balkan nations closed their borders in March to curb the influx, but migrants have been finding clandestine ways to enter.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Serbia-to-send-army-police-on-borders-because-of-migrants/articleshow/53242382.cms
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Mideast
Turkey coup ‘mastermind’ Fethullah Gulen is in exile in US — with green card
Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN | Jul 16, 2016
WASHINGTON: The man accused by the Erdogan government of inspiring if not masterminding the military coup in Turkey is a green card bearing moderate Muslim cleric living in exile in the Poconos mountains in Pennsylvania.
While associates of the cleric Fethullah Gulen have dismissed the charge of his involvement in the coup and said he is against military intervention, it transpires that US courts and Washington have repudiated Ankara's efforts to have him extradited in the past, even as the Obama administration on Friday swiftly came out against the coup.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Turkey-coup-mastermind-is-in-exile-in-US-with-green-card/articleshow/53243211.cms
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What pushed the coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and what next?
AFP | Jul 16, 2016
ISTANBUL: He weathered anti-government protests that lasted for months in 2013.
He escaped the flames that engulfed some of his ministers in a corruption investigation nearly three years ago.
And now Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has survived a military coup — a boast many of his predecessors ousted in previous army takeovers cannot share.
No one in Turkey predicted what happened on Friday night when soldiers took control of Istanbul's two main bridges across the Bosphorus and flew F-16 fighter jets low in Ankara.
Soldiers stormed into private and state-run broadcasters taking control with relative ease.
However, in a country which has seen three military coups — and one where direct force was not used — there has always been signs of fault lines that could prompt such a move.
In recent years, critics, foreign governments and Turkish citizens have expressed concerns about a steady decline into authoritarianism under Erdogan.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/What-pushed-the-coup-against-Turkish-President-Recep-Tayyip-Erdogan-and-what-next/articleshow/53242206.cms
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Erdogan supporters stand guard as crushed coup bid shakes Turkey
Reuters | Jul 17, 2016
ISTANBUL/ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan 's supporters rallied in public squares, at Istanbul airport and outside his palace overnight in a show of defiance after a failed coup attempt killed at least 265 people and raised expectations of a heavy crackdown on dissent.
Rebel soldiers used tanks, attack helicopters and fighter jets to try to topple Erdogan on Friday night, strafing parliament and the intelligence headquarters in Ankara while seizing a bridge and surrounding the airport in Istanbul.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Erdogan-supporters-stand-guard-as-crushed-coup-bid-shakes-Turkey/articleshow/53250910.cms
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Why does Turkey have a long history of coups?
Jul 17, 2016
Here's a look at Turkey's long history of coups, its military's prominence and why some had thought the days of military interference with government were over.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Why-does-Turkey-have-a-long-history-of-coups/listshow/53242225.cms
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'Choppers were flying so low, we felt we could touch them': Recounts Indian eyewitness in Turkey
TNN | Jul 17, 2016
Sumeet Walia was enjoying street food in central Istanbul late on Friday evening when the news of the coup attempt poured in. Then came the helicopters and gun-toting civilians poured onto the streets. Walia, who hails from Jamshedpur and now settled in Germany, was on a business trip to Turkey. Before internet connections snapped, Walia narrated to TOI's Raja Bose a harrowing tale through intermittent whatsapp messages.
It was around 11.30 pm (time in Istanbul) and I was gorging on street food with a few business associates in central Istanbul. Suddenly, there was commotion all around us. We found everyone peering into their phone handsets, trying to figure out what happened and receiving calls.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Choppers-were-flying-so-low-we-felt-we-could-touch-them-Recounts-Indian-eyewitness-in-Turkey/articleshow/53245324.cms
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Turkey coup: Barack Obama warns Ankara to ‘act within the rule of law’
AFP | Jul 16, 2016
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama called on Turkey to respect the rule of law on Saturday, a warning to the country's government as it rounded up alleged coup plotters.
He stressed the "vital need" for all parties to "act within the rule of law," after consulting key national security aides about the fallout from a botched putsch. Obama also urged Turkish leaders to "avoid actions that would lead to further violence or instability," the White House said.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Turkey-coup-Barack-Obama-warns-Ankara-to-act-within-the-rule-of-law/articleshow/53244863.cms
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Turkey detains around 6,000 over coup plot
AFP | Jul 17, 2016
ISTANBUL: Turkey has detained over 6,000 people over the coup plot aimed at ousting the govermment and the number will rise, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Sunday.
"Now the clean-up operations are continuing. We have around 6,000 people detained. The number will increase above 6,000," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Turkey-detains-around-6000-over-coup-plot/articleshow/53251292.cms
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Africa
At Least 300 Killed In Four Days in Latest South Sudan Violence: UN
AFP | Jul 15, 2016
GENEVA: At least 300 people have been killed in four days of intense gun battles in the capital of South Sudan and 42,000 have fled the city, the UN said on Friday.
The recent violence in Juba echoed the fighting that triggered the civil war and marks a fresh blow to last year's peace deal to end the bitter conflict that began when President Salva Kiir accused ex-rebel and now Vice-President Riek Machar of plotting a coup.
"It's over 300 deaths since August 8," said World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic. The UN however said it did not have the number of injured.
The July 8-11 violence had left "42,000 internally displaced" in the world's youngest nation, said William Spindler, the spokesman for the UN refugee agency. "The number of refugees in neigbouring countries is now 835,000," he said.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/At-least-300-killed-in-latest-South-Sudan-violence-UN/articleshow/53227003.cms
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Pakistan
Pakistan declared Wani a martyr under pressure, says ex-foreign secretary
Saibal Dasgupta | TNN | Jul 17, 2016
BEIJING: Pakistan declared Hizbul commander Burhan Wani as a "martyr" and July 19 as black day because it came under emotional pressure from the public, Riaz Hussain Khokhar, former foreign secretary of Pakistan said here on Saturday.
"In the beginning, our reactions were low key. But the government came under pressure from people and media. If is difficult to try and cool it because of the emotive aspect of the issue," Khokhar said.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-declared-Wani-a-martyr-under-pressure-says-ex-foreign-secretary/articleshow/53245893.cms
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Pakistan to take India to The Hague after two-day meet yields no breakthrough
Indrani Bagchi | TNN | Jul 16, 2016
NEW DELHI: Pakistan is determined to take India to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects after a two-day meeting between the two sides failed to produce a breakthrough.
In a statement after the meeting, India said it had pointed out to Pakistan that the latter was "violating provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty in rushing to a third forum, without attempting to avail Treaty provisions for amicably resolving matters of mutual concern." With Pakistan now set to approach the PCA in The Hague, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said India hoped that Pakistan would "see reason in our (its) suggestions on the way forward."
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-to-take-India-to-The-Hague-after-two-day-meet-yields-no-breakthrough/articleshow/53244638.cms
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Qandeel Baloch's brother, accused of killing her, arrested
AFP | Jul 17, 2016
ISLAMABAD: The brother of a Pakistani social media star strangled to death has been arrested for her murder and confessed to killing her "for honour", police said Sunday.
"The police arrested Muhammad Wasim, brother of Qandeel Baloch, for killing his sister late on Saturday," Multan City police chief Azhar Akram told AFP. "Wasim confessed to his crime, saying he killed his sister for honour after her recent objectionable videos, mostly posted on Facebook."
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Qandeel-Balochs-brother-accused-of-killing-her-arrested/articleshow/53249854.cms
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Southeast Asia
Is ISIS a Threat to Indonesia?
Posted On 17 Jul 2016
In-depth
Jakarta, GIVnews.com – The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), or later known as Islamic State (IS), declares war on Indonesia and Malaysia in a video showing children being trained to shoot from semi-automatic pistols and taught “religious” lessons.
“We are no longer your citizens, and have liberated ourselves from you,” said a man in the video, according to the Straits Times.
“With His permission and His assistance, we will come to you with a military force that you cannot overcome.”
Full report at: globalindonesianvoices.com/27135/is-isis-a-threat-to-indonesia/
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North America
Don't travel to Turkey: US warns citizens after coup attempt
AFP | Jul 17, 2016
WASHINGTON: The United States warned its citizens against travel to Turkey on Saturday after authorities crushed a military coup that claimed at least 265 lives.
"The US Department of State warns US citizens of increased threats from terrorist groups throughout Turkey and to avoid travel to southeastern Turkey," a statement read.
"In light of the July 15 coup attempt and its aftermath, we suggest US citizens reconsider travel to Turkey at this time."
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Dont-travel-to-Turkey-US-warns-citizens-after-coup-attempt/articleshow/53246968.cms
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Barack Obama slams suggestion of ‘sharia test’ in wake of Nice attack
Reuters | Jul 16, 2016
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Friday angrily denounced suggestions from some Republican leaders that Muslims in America be "tested" after an attack in Nice, France, that killed at least 84 people , calling the idea "repugnant."
Making his first public comments since a Tunisian man drove a truck through a crowd watching Bastille Day fireworks, Obama told a gathering of ambassadors at the White House that the United States stands with France and vows to fight terrorism.
Obama did not explicitly link the attack to Islamic State militants who have been connected to other recent attacks around the globe, saying that the details were not yet clear. He vowed to continue to fight the group.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Barack-Obama-slams-suggestion-of-sharia-test-in-wake-of-Nice-attack/articleshow/53241713.cms
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